1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and specifically, relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method which analyze an image to execute image processing, and a program that causes a computer to execute the method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, imaging apparatuses such as digital video cameras (e.g., integrated camera/recorders) have come into widespread use. For example, a tourist traveling various tourist locations will often take moving pictures of a person or persons using an imaging apparatus, with a famous building or scenery or the like in the background.
The moving picture thus taken can be played, for example, using a player within the home. However, in the case of using a player to play the moving picture, playing the whole moving picture from the beginning can mean that the play time is prolonged, and there is a possibility that interest in the moving picture may decrease. Also, playing multiple moving pictures taken at multiple tourist sites can mean that the play time is further prolonged, and interest in viewing all the moving pictures may decrease. Also, the time used for viewing of a moving picture is relatively long, and accordingly, a viewer is often satisfied with viewing a moving picture that has been played and viewed once, and consequently, there is little call for viewing such a moving picture repeatedly.
Therefore, for example, there has been proposed a player which displays a film roll image on a display unit (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-167155). This film roll image is, for example, an image wherein the thumbnail images of still images that represent scenes making up a moving picture are disposed in the playback point-in-time order of scenes corresponding to each thereof.
According to the above related art, in the case of viewing multiple moving pictures taken at multiple tourist locations, for example, a user can readily understand the overall content of these moving pictures.
However, in the case of displaying a thumbnail image that represents each scene making up a moving picture, the imaging range corresponding to the thumbnail image thereof is displayed, but other imaging spaces at the scene corresponding to the thumbnail image thereof are not displayed. For example, in the case that a person is included in the imaging range of the scene thereof, and the place where the scene thereof has been taken, the surrounding atmosphere, and so forth, can be readily comprehended, it can be conceived that interest in the scene thereof can be furthered. In this case, it is important to perform a presentation that is attractive to the user, for example, thereby furthering interest in the moving picture thereof.
It has been found to be desirable to increase interest in a moving picture.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are provided an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and a program causing a computer to execute the method thereof, the image processing apparatus including: a front-most image information storage unit configured to store information relating to a front-most image that is one image of a plurality of compositing target images serving as compositing targets of an imaged image making up an imaged moving picture; a transformation information storage unit configured to store transformation information used for transforming another compositing target image of the plurality of compositing target images with the front-most image as a reference; an image transforming unit configured to transform the plurality of compositing target images sequentially toward the front-most image from the compositing target image positioned at the forefront or last of the temporal axis based on the transformation information; an image compositing unit configured to overwrite-composite the transformed compositing target images sequentially to generate a composited image; and a display control unit configured to display the composited image sequentially. Thus, there is provided an effect that the plurality of compositing target images are transformed sequentially toward the front-most image from the compositing target image positioned at the forefront or last of the temporal axis based on the transformation information, and the transformed compositing target images are overwritten and composited sequentially to display a composited image sequentially.
The front-most image may be the compositing target image other than the compositing target image positioned at the forefront or last on the temporal axis, with the image transforming unit transforming the compositing target images adjacent to the front-most image, following which sequentially transforming the plurality of compositing target images toward the front-most image from the compositing target image positioned at the edge portion of the opposite side of the transformed compositing target images on the temporal axis based on the transformation information. Thus, there is provided an effect that after the compositing target images adjacent to the front-most image are transformed, the plurality compositing target images are transformed sequentially toward the front-most image from the compositing target image positioned at the edge portion of the opposite side of the transformed compositing target images on the temporal axis based on the transformation information.
The image compositing unit may add a decoration image to the peripheries of the transformed compositing target images, and sequentially overwrite-composite the compositing target images to which the decoration image thereof has been added to generate a composited image. Thus, there is provided an effect that a decoration image is added to the peripheries of the transformed compositing target images, and the compositing target images to which the decoration image thereof has been added are overwritten and composited sequentially to generate a composited image.
The image processing apparatus may further include an operation accepting unit configured to accept a specification operation used to specifying whether to execute the transformation from which edge portion on the temporal axis, with the image transforming unit executing the transformation toward the front-most image from the composited target image positioned at the specified edge portion. Thus, there is provided an effect that the transformation is executed toward the front-most image from the composited target image positioned at the specified edge portion.
The image processing apparatus may further include an object detecting unit configured to detect an object included in the compositing target images, with the case that the object is included in the transformed compositing target image, in order to prevent the next compositing target image from being overwritten on an object region including the object thereof, the image compositing unit moving and overwrite-compositing the next compositing target image thereof. Thus, there is provided an effect that in the case that the object is included in the transformed compositing target image, in order to prevent the next compositing target image from being overwritten in an object region including the object thereof, the image compositing unit moves and overwrite-composites the next compositing target image thereof.
The plurality of compositing target images may be images that are transformed and composited based on the transformation information, thereby creating a panorama image corresponding to a portion of imaging space included in the imaged moving picture. Thus, there is provided an effect that the plurality of compositing target images are transformed and composited based on the transformation information, thereby creating a panorama image corresponding to a portion of imaging space included in the imaged moving picture.
According to the above configuration, an excellent effect is provided wherein an interest relating to a moving picture can be enhanced.